16 Effective Ways to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Choices

Inside: Do you feel overwhelmed by choices? Here’s the secret to dealing with choice overload. Reclaim your time, energy, and ability to focus today.

At the height of its popularity, I gave in to the Air Fryer trend. Intrigued by the machine’s claim of making healthier French fries, I also decided to look for a French fry cutter.

When my Amazon search came up with 765 results, I started wading through the sea of options:

• Plastic versus stainless-steel
• Prices from $19.99 to $109.00
• 4-star good reviews to 5-star fantastic reviews
• Manual versus electric
• Horizontal versus vertical
• Counter-mount with suction cups versus no-mount

It would have been easier and faster to cut the potatoes myself.

Overwhelmed by choices, I got out of the search by asking for a French fry cutter as my next Christmas gift. In a classic case of avoidance/procrastination, I secretly hoped that someone else could decide for me. 

If you’ve ever become overwhelmed by choices in everyday life, you’re not alone. Here’s what you can do about it.

Can Too Much Choice Become Paralyzing?

I confess. One of my biggest time-wasters can be time spent researching when making purchases, especially online ones. It’s all too easy to fall into a rabbit hole of options and not surface for several hours.

According to Hick’s Law, the more options we have, the longer it takes to make a decision.

Netflix is a perfect example. The more options offered, the longer it takes for Netflix users to pick a show. We want to be sure we pick the best show to watch. But we also become weary of trying to weigh the options, especially after a long day.

But the more options we have, the more dissatisfied we seem to be. In spite of the increasing choices, Netflix users have become more dissatisfied. Data shows that the average rating given to any show on Netflix has dropped over the years.

The modern world offers a dazzling array of choices, but more choices also demands more time and energy. 

We now pick from dozens of options in what we buy, wear, cook, drive, and eat at the all-you-can-eat buffet. For online deliveries, we get to choose the price, speed of delivery, and tip.

Then there are the bigger questions of where we live, send our children to school, and attend church. And then there are the work-related decisions of whether to work for an employer or ourselves, how to work remotely, and whether to pursue financial security or our dream passion.

Not only is the list endless, there’s often no clear-cut answer.

Maximizers, Satisficers, and Choice Overload

In his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, Barry Schwartz describes how overwhelmed by choices we are in modern-day society. Instead of increasing our sense of well-being, the overabundance of choice in Western society is raising our levels of anxiety, doubt, and dissatisfaction.

In his book, Schwartz describes two types of consumers: maximizers and satisficers. Maximizers try to make the optimal decision when making purchases, which means evaluating all the choices exhaustively. 

Satisficers, on the other hand, make purchases based on what adequately meets their requirements, or what’s good enough. (The word “satisfice” comes from the words satisfy and suffice.)

Schwartz says, “To satisfice is to settle for something that is good enough and not worry about the possibility that there might be something better.” Because of this, satisficers don’t experience FOMO as maximizers do. They feel less regret, even if they encounter a better option after making a decision.

If time spent doing exhaustive analysis resulted in more contentment, we might justify it as being worth it. Unfortunately, it does not.

Maximizers are more likely to experience second-guessing, comparison with others, and disappointment. Studies show that maximizers tend to be less satisfied with their final choice than those who did less research.

In their quest for the best, they can end up focusing not on what they have, but on what they might have had. Ironically, remorse was the outcome they were trying to avoid in the first place.

When “Good Enough” Really is Good Enough

The exhaustive analysis approach does pay off in some situations, however. According to Schwartz, maximizers tend to do better in major decisions (but then end up feeling worse about their choices). One study showed that maximizers found jobs with 20% higher income but were less satisfied in those positions.

What does this all mean for us as Christians then?

As Christians, we should be selective about how we make decisions, choosing to be a satisficer with the unimportant things or things of this world.

Excessive preoccupation with the things of this world distracts us from God and His Kingdom, sapping our ability to grow spiritually. 

Matthew 13:22 describes the spiritual dangers of getting caught up in everyday minutia: “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful” (NIV).  

Intentionally limiting our choices as selective satisficers removes the extra thorns in our spiritual lives, allowing us to focus better on loving God and others.

The Real Reason We Research to Death (And What to Do Instead)

Behind all the overanalyzing lies the real reason we research our choices to death: fear and anxiety over making the wrong decision (even if it’s just a French fry cutter).

But as finite humans in an increasingly complex world, we’ll never be able to evaluate all the options. Ultimately, the search for the “perfect choice” is a futile pursuit. It’s a form of placing our hopes in the things of this world—or in our limited ability to make the perfect decision. 

First John 2:15-16 reminds us to hold our possessions lightly:

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (NLT).

Learning to be content with “good enough” helps us loosen the grip that possessions can hold over us. As the apostle Paul writes, “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth” (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT). 

When we choose to satisfice, we cease to pin our happiness on earthly things that cannot deliver. We say to God, “I choose not to worship the gifts—or my ability to choose rightly—but I trust You instead. I choose to be content with what I have.” 

We declare that “good enough” is, indeed, good enough.

16 Ways to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Choices

If you feel overwhelmed by choices in everyday life, here are 16 practical ideas to reduce your daily decisions:

The Secret to Dealing With Choice Overload

Adopting a “good enough” approach is a countercultural way of living, as it flies in the face of our consumeristic society where newer is always better. We can use this simple mindset shift to reclaim time, energy, and focus. The next time you’re overwhelmed by choices, give it a try.

Because shopping for a French fry cutter is not how you want to spend your free time.

In what ways could you adopt the “good enough” approach today?

For more on decision-making:
Why Decision Fatigue is Making You Tired—But Here’s How to Beat It
How You Can Improve Your Christian Decision-Making Skills

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Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash